You’ve Got Mail: A Letter From Me to You
Once upon a time (5 years ago), I ‘met’ a writer who wrote love letters and left them around the city for strangers to find.
I loved this idea so much, I decided to do it too. I’d skip uni to go down to the city, scribble encouraging notes on scented paper, and seal them in blue envelopes. Then, I’d leave these letters in cafes, on trains, in library books, and on park benches. I’d leave them behind with a hope that it would fall into the hands of someone who really needed to hear something comforting that day.
I know what you’re thinking: This girl has way too much time on her hands.
And you’d be right. At 19, I did have ample time to gallivant around the city, spend hours sipping bottomless chai, and write letters to people I’d never met before. Now that we’re in the thick of a global pandemic, I wish I’d savoured that time more.
But I also know what it’s like to be someone who desperately needed a letter for myself. Back then, I was in love with the idea of ‘signs’ and serendipity. Fate and divine intervention. A classic overthinker, I needed a big, bold sign to tell me what I should do.
So it was my hope that if someone found my letter, they would see it as the serendipitous sign they needed to keep pushing forward. A nudge from ‘the universe’ to do something courageous, like be the first one to ask someone out or quit the job they hate. Or a friendly reminder that they’re doing ok and everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to.
While cleaning my room the other day, I uncovered a letter I wrote a few years ago that I never got the chance to leave in the city. I stumbled on it at the exact moment I needed an encouraging word, and it reminded me of why I set out to create in the first place.
So now I’m passing it on to you. Consider this your very own serendipitous virtual letter you stumbled across while trawling the internet.
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Hey you,
We don’t know each other. We’ve likely never crossed paths before. But I don’t need to have met you face-to-face to know you’re a remarkable human being.
It’s easy to discount ourselves and believe that we are nothing more than ordinary. But I don’t think you’re ordinary at all. You have your own unique way of thinking and doing life. You’re someone who people find utterly hilarious. Someone loves the way you brighten the room just by walking into it. Someone else is riveted by the way you talk about music, history, or your love of food. Labelling yourself as ordinary doesn’t do you justice.
Like I said, we’ve never met. But I have a feeling you’re at a crossroads right now. You’re wrestling between two different paths and you’re not sure which choice to make. Do you pursue the path that scares you but lights you up inside? Or do you keep walking down the same predictable road? You’re likely complicating the decision with thoughts like: what will people think? Will I succeed? Am I capable?
Deep down, I think you know the answer. Your judgement is just clouded by a pesky thing called fear.
Well, let this letter be a big, bold reminder that you don’t need permission from anyone to pursue your dreams. No one else can tell you what to do. You’re the only one who will have to live with the consequences if you do or don’t pursue this.
Right now, you have been given a gift, a spark, an idea — and darling, if you don’t bring it to fruition, someone else is going to take it and bring it to life. And you’ll forever be left with a pit in your stomach, wondering what if, what if, what if.
Forget about the critics and what people ‘might’ say. If you want to do big things in life, you need to start moving forward. Big things are made up of little decisions put together. Taking baby steps and making the tough-but-good choices is where the gold is at.
I know, I know. It can be so hard to put this into action when your bed keeps calling your name, fear wants to hold you back, and anxiety is tearing you up on the inside.
But this is it. The pressure is where the greats are born, and you, my dear, are definitely one of the greats.
Love,
A friend.